2025 MOT results
Toyota Avensis common problems
The most common reason a Toyota Avensis fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 18.4% of its 19,024 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, one fault stands out: a sidelight out at 18.4% of failures against 11.6% expected.
- Tests in 2025 55,139 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 34.5% 19,024 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.8% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 63.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Toyota Avensis MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Toyota Avensis tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.4% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 9.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.3% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 7.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.0% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.7% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.3% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.2% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.7% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 5.1% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.1% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
18.4% of failures 11.6% expected 1.6 times as often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Broken coil spring
9.7% of failures 9.3% expected about as expected
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.3% of failures 5.8% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Worn brake pads
7.0% of failures 5.1% expected somewhat more often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.0% of failures 7.1% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Brake light out
6.7% of failures 8.2% expected somewhat less often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Toyota Avensis, on 51.9% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 44.1%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 51.9% |
| Suspension | 30.4% |
| Brakes | 26.5% |
| Tyres | 17.9% |
| Visibility | 16.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.3% |
| Steering | 4.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
63.5% of Toyota Avensis tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Toyota Avensises, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 19.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 9.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 9.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.6% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 8.4% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 8.3% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 7.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 6.7% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.6% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 5.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 4.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Toyota Avensis gets older
A 2017 Toyota Avensis failed 19.2% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2004 one failed 41.9%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2017 Toyota Avensis 19.2% failed, from 2,419 tests
- Worn brake pads 10.3%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 10.1%
- Headlamp out 9.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.0%
- Tyre pressure warning 7.7%
- Engine management light on 6.9%
2004 Toyota Avensis 41.9% failed, from 2,071 tests
- Sidelight out 19.0%
- Brake light out 13.0%
- Engine management light on 12.6%
- Headlamp out 8.8%
- Broken coil spring 7.4%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 7.3%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Toyota Avensis problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Toyota Avensis?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 18.4% of failed Toyota Avensis tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 51.9% of failed tests.
How often does a Toyota Avensis fail its MOT?
34.5% of Toyota Avensis tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 55,139 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 54 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Toyota Avensis than on other cars?
Yes. “Position lamp: not working” appears on 18.4% of its failures against 11.6% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Toyota Avensis aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 55,139 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.